My First Adventures
by Raphianna
Summary: William Barlette, a man with a deep sympathy for engines, feels as though they are being mistreated too much. Wanting to at least make a small change to that, he decides to build his own engine, and give him his first adventures. *Thomas and Friends belong to HiT Entertainment. William Barlette belongs to me*
1. Prequel: One Day

**One Day…**

 **A.N. I'm going to alter Thomas' history a bit. Instead of him being built in 1915, he's going to be built in 1907 :)**

 **A.N. 2 Extra info of William:**

 **Age:**

 **32 – when he was finally worried about engines, year 1900  
39 – when he built Thomas, year 1907  
47 – current age, year 1915**

 **Born: November 5, 1868**

…

 **Day: April 27, 1900**

32 year old William sighed in discomfort as he stared out a window from his home during a rainstorm.

He was so deeply lost in thought, that when a soft hand gently touched his shoulder, he gasped in surprise and jumped. His heartbeat racing, he looked up into the teal green eyes of his friend, 31 year old, Tanner Maxwell.

Breathing a sigh of relief, William looked down, and ran a hand through his messy red hair. "Oh… hello Tanner… you scared me…"

"Apologies, old friend. But are you alright, Will?" Tanner asked, concern lacing his voice, as he stared at his best friend inquiringly.

"No… not really." William mumbled. "This is the second case of mistreatment of another engine I've seen in the newspaper in three weeks."

"Oh?"

"Yes! Haven't you seen?" William asked, turning to face his friend. "The first one, was of a Dolgoch locomotive- though his name was not released. He was quite a troublemaker, yes. But what he did really wasn't all that bad… he was a show-off who would ride roughly and often come off the rails. But most engines would be guilty of that at times. But anyways, he was finally punished by being turned into a generator and being put away behind an engine shed."

"What?!" Tanner gasped. "Just for coming off the rails a few times?!"

William exhaled. "Indeed, Tanner. But the second one, is sadder in my opinion. His name was not released either, though neither were any others. But most of them, were based off the L&YR Class 28 tender steam locomotives."

"Others?" Tanner asked. "What do you mean?"

"This one, involved an entire railway." William explained.

Tanner blanched at the thought. "An entire railway…"

"Yes." William confirmed. "You see, this railway was recently shut down, because it was known to be cheap and cut corners. Due to this, it was causing its engines to have unsafe conditions. Even to themselves. One example, is wooden brake blocks."

"WOODEN BRAKE-" Tanner gaped. "Alright, I'm no engineer but-"

"I, uhm, Tanner…" William interjected, while trying not to laugh. "You _are_ an engineer. We _both_ are."

Tanner blushed in embarrassment. "Oh yes…" He laughed quietly. "We are… but- but that just makes my point even more damning! Engines should _not_ have wooden brake blocks! That's potentially life threatening to them, and everyone else around them!"

"I know." William huffed. "The railway is now shut down, and all the engines working there are to be sent elsewhere for proper care. However, that railway it soon to be opened again, under new, more suited management for the engines and workers."

"That's a relief…" Tanner smiled. "But what are you going to do? Why are so upset about this?"

"I'm upset about this because engines are being mistreated!" William cried. "This could hurt us, yes, but it could hurt the engines even more so! And more than just physically…" He mumbled, looking down.

"You do have a point…" Tanner hummed. "I'm sorry for being so oblivious… do continue."

William sighed, but did so. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Tanner." William stated truthfully, turning back to face the window, the storm raging just beyond the glass. "But… I feel the need to care for an engine myself. Show them what it means to be properly cared for…"

"You could buy an engine, and give them that." Tanner suggested.

"Yes… it would be beneficial to both sides…" William mused. "But… I want my own engine. One that I… built _myself_."

"Well that's good too, Will." Tanner said, moving next to him. "But, that'll be expensive… I don't think you could do it…"

William snorted lightly. "Maybe one day, I'll be able to Tanner. One day…"


	2. My Creator

**My First Adventures**

 **A.N. Thanks to a headcanon from my sister, RSlikestoread, we now both have a theory that engines only come to life after they've been built and their whistle has been blown :)**

…

 **Day: December 23, 1907**

 _I met my creator here. He's kind…_

39 year old William smiled and slowly backed away from the engine he had finished constructing only hours ago.

He put his hands together and pursed his lips together in hopefulness.

"I have spent countless weeks on you, little engine…" William whispered as he stepped closer to him, placing a gentle hand upon his cheek. "So much so, that I have lost track, of how many actual months have gone by."

"I feel as though I've gone a little short by you, however." William confessed to the still unresponsive engine. "For you are a bit smaller than all of the other engines in your class. I hope you can see past that either way, and be really useful still." William stepped away from the engine, and stared at him for a little while longer.

After a moment, he put a finger to the corner of his mouth, and smiled. "Ah, though I believe it is time for you to wake up, now." He said, before moving forwards and into the small engine's cab.

It took him a moment to get the fire in his firebox running, but when he did, he reached for a certain control, and pulled it twice.

A high pitched whistle rang through the small workshop, and echoed for a few moments. When it was done, William stepped out of the engine's cab, and quickly ran back to the front of his engine.

 _His engine…_

William smiled at that thought and chuckled.

After a moment, steam started to float out from under the grey engine's wheels, and his eyes started twitching. After a second, they opened.

William smiled but remained silent, letting the engine do what seemed right to him.

Said engine blinked his eyes a few times, and looked around in uncertainty. "A-ah…" A small whimper left his mouth as he took in his new surroundings.

"Hello."

The small engine gasped in surprise, and looked in front him. There was a man standing there; he was tall, thin, and pale. He had red hair and blue eyes, and was smiling.

It took him a few moments to find his voice, but he returned the greeting. "H-Hello…"

"Aha…" William laughed softly. "A shy one, are you? That's quite alright."

The engine slowly smiled as well. "Oh… right…"

"Forgive me." William gasped in realisation as he placed a hand over his heart and bowed. "My name is William. William Rohan Barlette. I am the one who built you."

The engine gasped softly as his eyes lit up and a small smile crossed his face. "Really..? You are?"

"Yes, indeed." William confirmed, smiling up at the engine. "And do you know who _you_ are, young one?"

The engine bit his lip. "N-no… is that a… bad thing?"

"Not at all." William reassured his engine. It was becoming more natural to think that, even if only the second time. "You just woke up for the first time. Of course you wouldn't know who you are, just yet."

"Oh… that's a good thing then, right?"

"Indeed." The man smiled. "And it's alright if you don't know now. We can think of something else for the moment, anyhow. Like… what colour would you like to be?"

"Colour…?" The engine asked. "What's that…?"

"Colour is…" William struggled to explain. "Colour is, well-… colour." William smiled. "The different shades of pigment that you see all around you. Like my eyes and hair."

"Oh… I- I see now." The small engine smiled.

"Good, good. So, little engine." William smiled, while clapping his hands together. "Now that you understand what colours are, which one would you like to be?"

The engine - who still had not decided on a name - stared at the man in wonder. "You're... you're eyes..."

"Pardon?"

"You're eyes." He said louder. "I want to be... the- the colour of your eyes. But... maybe a shade lighter?"

"Hm…" William mulled over the thought. "A shade lighter than my eyes would be… baby blue, then. Consider it done."

"Oh… thank you so much!"

William smiled once more. He was about to reply, until the door to his workshop opened. Quickly, he turned around and chuckled upon seeing the new arrival. "Hello Tanner. Do you need something?"

"Yes." The man known as Tanner said. "I- oh! I see he's awake."

"Precisely. Only a while ago, in fact." William said. "We'll introduce you in a moment. Now, what do you need?"

"My wife told me that Agni wants a certain type of toy for Christmas."

The small engine listened carefully – though only two words stuck out between the rest.

Toy, and Christmas.

Toy… Christmas… toy… mas…

"Tho…mas?"

William turned away from Tanner when he heard the small engine speak. "Pardon, little one?"

"Tho…mas…" The engine repeated, almost just as slowly. "Thomas… is- is that a name?" He asked shyly.

William smiled. "It is indeed." He nodded. "Thomas… is that what you want for a name?"

"Yes… yes, please!" He smiled shakily.

"Well then." Tanner laughed. "Thomas, is it then? I'm Tanner! Tanner Maxwell."

"Hi…"

"Anyway, to get the pleasantries out of the way," William started, though laughed upon seeing Tanner's face. "I'm just joking! Anyways, I'd suggest giving Agni a toy rocking horse. She always seemed to love horses. That might be just the thing."

"Hm… yes!" Tanner smiled. "Honestly, William. I know you have no interest in romance or anything of the sort, but sometimes, I swear you know more about my family than I do!"

William chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. Right now, I have more important things to attend to." He smiled, gesturing to the engine now known as Thomas.

"Ah, I see." Tanner smiled. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Hopefully I'll see you around, little Thomas!" He waved, before leaving.

When the door shut, a cold breeze swept into the room, and Thomas shivered. "That's… cold."

"Well, it's winter now, little Thomas." William explained, as he walked to his engine, and sat atop his buffer beam. Thomas gasped at the new pressure, but listened, nonetheless. "Winter is the coldest of all seasons."

"There's more than one?" Thomas asked curiously.

"Oh yes. Four, in fact." William nodded. "Summer, which is considered the warmest season. A time for fun at the beach, ice-cream – a cold, delicious confection – and," He laughed. "The immense need for shade. It is after all, the warmest season."

"And the other three?"

William went on to explain the three remaining seasons: spring, fall, and winter.

Each sounded wonderful to Thomas. From the many flowers of spring, to the fiery colours of fall, to the bitter cold, yet beautiful scenery of winter.

"Oh… I love everything you've told me…" Thomas gasped. "But… I think my favourite – is winter."

William laughed. "My favourite is fall. I find it oddly relaxing. Though winter is a close second."

Thomas smiled. "That's good to hear." He said. "So… now what?"

"I'd say it's high time we get you painted." William suggested, hopping down and looking at his engine.

"Painted?"

"Yes. We get you painted, in the colours you want." William smiled. "I think, we'll go with baby blue for your overall colour, like you wanted. But we'll add onto it, with white lining, and… perhaps your name painted on your sides in gold cursive letters?"

"O-oh!" Thomas gasped. "Yes! I'd like that!"

William nodded. "Very good. We best be off then."

"Are you sure I'm ready?" Thomas asked fearfully.

"Yes." William said confidently. "I will be with you, so you needn't worry so much." He smiled. Then he got on his coat, before stepping into Thomas' cab. Gently and slowly, he placed coal into Thomas' firebox. After a few moments, it was sizzling.

"Comfortable?" William asked, anxiously waiting for Thomas' answer.

"Yes." Thomas smiled. "I feel warm."

"Good." William smiled. Quickly, he stepped away from Thomas, and made his way to the workshop doors, before pushing them open. A cold breeze blew in, but Thomas didn't mind- he still felt warm.

William then got back into Thomas' cab. "When you're ready, Thomas." He prompted the small engine.

Thomas sighed, before he slowly spun his wheels, and started to move forward. Thomas was a little scared at first, but soon, he was puffing out of the workshop and down the rails happily, giggling as he rolled down the tracks.

"That's a good boy!" William laughed.

As they moved down the tracks, Thomas became lost in thought.

 _William… his name is William. And he's my creator… he's been so kind to me._ Thomas smiled. _He's told me of colours and seasons… all are amazing. And I'm about to go get painted. All of this is moving so quickly…_

"Thomas, we're here!"

Almost immediately, Thomas stopped, putting on his brakes. "Oh! We are?" He asked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Where's here?"

"The Steamworks."

Thomas gasped as he stared at a large building. It was big, _very_ big. "Is this… where I'll get my colours?" He asked shyly.

William laughed at Thomas' choice of words. "How adorable. But yes! This is where you'll get your colours. Shall we go in?"


	3. My First Lie and Colours

**My First Adventures Ch. 2**

 **A.N. I'm putting in the story that William's livery choice for Thomas before his teal green livery and NWR livery, is baby blue, with white lining, and Thomas' name in gold cursive letters on his sides.**

…

 **Day: December 23, 1907**

 _This is where I encountered other E2s like me… and where I was told my first lie…_

Thomas hummed quietly as he moved down the tracks near the Steamworks. From what he could see, other engines that looked like him were there. Except… they looked a bit bigger.

"Um… um…" Thomas stuttered, not sure how to address William just yet.

"What is it, Thomas?" William asked from his cab.

"These- these other engines…" Thomas whispered. "They look like me… though a bit bigger… why is that?"

William sighed. "I knew you'd notice this sooner or later." He mumbled. "You belong to a class of engines known as the E2 tank engines." He explained. "When I built you, Thomas, I fell a little short on measurements for your parts. As a result, you are a little smaller than all your other E2 companions. I hope you aren't too upset."

"Oh no… no I'm not." Thomas smiled as he moved inside the Steamworks. "After all… you made me. I would expect nothing less nor nothing more."

William chuckled in amusement. "My… how… mature you seem."

Thomas merely blushed, and giggled a bit. Inside, the other E2 tank engines were all being painted in the same colours. The London, Brighton & South Coast livery – teal, with yellow letters and numbers.

When they were fully stopped, William stepped out of Thomas' cab, and walked to face him.

No sooner had he reached his engine however, a worker came up to William. "Excuse me, Sir…" Then he quietly handed him a letter, before walking away.

William read it over. "Hm… I see…" He sighed before crumpling the paper in his fist. "Thomas, I'll have to leave for a while. But don't you worry- I'll be back in time before dark. I won't leave you behind."

"You promise?" Thomas whispered, though smiled a little upon seeing paint cans of baby blue, white, and gold brought in front of him.

"I promise." William smiled. "I'll be back in time, so that I myself might paint your name onto your sides."

"Oh… I can't wait." Thomas smiled. "Bye…"

William nodded once, with a smile still gracing his face before he left.

Though after William left, whispers soon started floating around.

"Oh my gosh, look at how small he is!" Said a female E2 tank engine.

"I know!" Replied another. "I mean, we _are_ small engines yes, but I _never_ have seen one as small as that one!"

Thomas stared at all the other E2s around him in sadness. "I'm not that small, you know." He whispered. "He said he was just a little short on my measurements. I'm not that different from you."

"Oh but you are! How could one as small as you, be useful?"

Thomas stared at them with wide eyes for a moment, completely speechless.

After a moment however, he looked away as tears came to his eyes. _But I_ _can_ _be useful, just like you…_ Sniffling, he bit his lip and shut his eyes, trying his hardest not to cry.

"Oh, fine." Said another male E2, rolling his eyes. "We'll stop. But just remember the one rule we all have."

Thomas looked back up at them. "What's that…?"

"You mean you really don't know?" He gasped. "You can't call your creator by their name! They'll get mad, and they could send you away!"

"He- he wouldn't do that!" Thomas defended swiftly. "He loves me! … I think…"

"Of course he does!" The other E2 quickly assured. "But they all don't like being called by their name, that's all."

"Then what should I call him?" Thomas asked.

"Sir. You must call him 'Sir' and nothing else." The E2 explained. "While he may not send you away, he will get mad- guaranteed. And you don't want that, do you?" He asked, staring at Thomas with firm eyes.

"N-no…" Thomas mumbled, backing away slightly.

He smirked. "That's what I thought." Then he backed away and joined the other E2s as they continued laughing amongst themselves, ignoring Thomas.

Thomas himself just looked away and closed his eyes. _He wouldn't get mad… would he?_ But his thoughts were interrupted when he felt a cool liquid on his body. Gasping, he looked to his right, but sighed in relief upon seeing a workman.

The man smiled. "We're just starting on your paintwork, little one." He explained. "First, a white undercoat, to keep your paint water proof."

"Then what?" Thomas asked.

"Well, we'll do as your creator and you wish: paint you in baby blue, with white lining, and your name in gold cursive letters."

Thomas smiled. "I'm excited."

"I'm glad." The worker smiled. Then he and other workers started painting the small engine.

Thomas smiled more and looked around at all the other E2s being painted. While they were all being painted teal green, he was being painted baby blue.

 _I guess I_ _am_ _different…_ He thought. _But that's alright…_

"All done!"

Thomas snapped out of his thoughts and looked as best he could at himself. From his peripheral vision, he saw his body painted baby blue, and outlined in white. His eyes widened. "That quickly?!" He asked astounded.

The workman chuckled. "We are very good. Everyone else is done as well." He said, jerking his thumb behind him.

Thomas giggled. "You _are_ good… so, I'm done now?"

"Oh, not completely. You're name still has to be painted onto your sides- and William wanted to do that himself."

"Oh yes..!" Thomas gasped. "I remember. Hopefully he'll be here soon."

"Don't count on it, little tank engine…" An E2 mumbled as she went past him.

"What..?" Thomas whispered as he stared at her.

"Oh nothing!" She giggled before she and the others left.

Thomas stared after the other E2s with sad eyes. _Why are they so mean to me? Is it just because of how small I am..?_

"-omas? Thomas?"

Thomas gasped and was thrown out of his thoughts as he heard his name. "Y-yes? Oh!" He smiled upon seeing William. "H-hello!"

"Are you alright, little one?" William asked, staring at his engine with worry etched into his eyes. "You seem to be getting lost in your thoughts quite often… still only on your first day."

"Oh, I'm fine…" He reassured him. Until he remembered-

 _You must call him Sir and nothing else._

Sir." Thomas finished quietly after a moment, looking away.

"Sir?" William repeated, confused. "How… formal." He mumbled. "Well, anyway, shall I give you your name?" He smiled.

Thomas gasped. "Oh, oh yes please!" He giggled.

William laughed. "Alright! How about this: we'll do your name in gold cursive letters, then outline it in red."

"I'd love that."

…

William hummed quietly as he carefully wrote Thomas' name on his side in gold. After a moment, he spoke. "Thomas?"

"Yes, Sir?" Thomas asked, looking at him curiously.

William closed his eyes and sighed, pulling the brush away from Thomas' body.

"Sir?" Thomas asked, slowly.

"Why are you doing that?" William asked suddenly.

"Doing what, Sir?" Thomas replied, slightly nervous.

"Calling me 'Sir'." William explained. "I'll bite. We haven't gone over what to call me, so why suddenly 'Sir'?"

"Well…" Thomas stuttered, trying to think of an answer. "It's the… respectful thing to do and…"

"And what, little one?" William asked, walking up to Thomas and placing a hand on his cheek, gently rubbing it.

Thomas closed his eyes and sighed, feeling the warm, gentle touch. "The… other E2s… they said if I didn't call you Sir, you'd get mad and… send me away. I know you wouldn't send me away but… I was worried you'd be mad still…"

William sighed and shook his head. "Never think like that, Thomas. The others were just teasing you. I'd never send you away, you're right; and I'd never get mad at you for that. You don't have to call me Sir- in fact, I'd prefer that you _didn't_."

"Really…?" Thomas gasped. "Why?"

"I built you because I wanted to care for someone." William explained as he picked up his brush again and went to the other side of Thomas, and started writing. "Now, a thing you must know about me is, I don't like anyone romantically."

"You don't?"

"No, Thomas. I don't." He confirmed with a nod of his head. "For the longest time, I felt like I didn't belong because of that part of me. But over time, I learned to accept that part of me, knowing that I wouldn't be romantically in love with anyone."

"But… you do love others, right?" Thomas asked meekly.

"Yes. Plenty of platonic love." William nodded. "That's a type of love where you don't feel any- ahem- sexual attraction to anyone. But do feel affection for them. Like I do, for you."

"F-for me?" Thomas asked.

"Yes." William smiled, pulling away from Thomas, done with writing his name on the other side of him. Picking up a different, smaller brush, he began to outline Thomas' name in red.

"Another reason I built you because I've seen so many cases of engines being mistreated. And I wanted to change that, at least a little bit, and show an engine what true, real love feels like. Not pain or betrayal. Something nice for a change." He explained as he finished outlining Thomas' name on one side, and switched to his other side.

William finished outlining Thomas' name completely, and put the brush down. Silently, he moved to stand in front of his engine once more.

"Thomas." He said quietly. "I hate that you feel obligated to call me 'Sir' just because of a few teasing engines. It's not right. So, I have a proposal." William said.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Oh…?"

He smiled. "Yes. Now, this is all up to you. But if you so choose, you can call me by my name or… Father."

Thomas gasped. "Father..? I-isn't that… what a child says to the man in his life..?" He eyes widened. "Wait… do you mean… you see me as… as…" He couldn't finish.

William chuckled. "I see you as my son, Thomas. Yes…"


	4. Confessions and New Engines

**My First Adventures Ch. 3**

 **A.N. Wow… I have not updated or uploaded anything in a while… I feel sheepish ^^' sorry for the wait, I'll try to get other things uploaded soon, but I'm running low on ideas…**

 **A.N. 2 Special thanks to Goldsaddletank for helping me :D**

…

 **Day: December 25, 1907**

 _I met my first friend here… acquaintance? Another engine? Yes, just another engine… he's smaller than me, but older…_

"Merry Christmas Thomas!"

Thomas' eyes shot open, and a surprised gasp left his mouth. Looking around for a brief moment, he smiled when he saw William, his Father.

"Merry Christmas…" Thomas replied softly, staring at the man in front of him in admiration.

Two days ago, William had told Thomas how he truly felt about him.

That William saw Thomas as his son.

The little engine felt so overwhelmed when he heard the confession, he nearly lost consciousness. But once his panic was over, he quickly accepted the man's confession, agreeing to be his son.

William was overjoyed that Thomas saw him as more than just his creator. He could now properly be a Father to this little tank engine.

"Did you sleep well?" William asked, moving towards him with a cup of coffee.

Thomas smiled. "I did…"

William nodded happily. "Well Thomas, I was thinking that today, we just take a nice ride, hm? Let you look around."

"Oh yes please!" Thomas gasped quietly, his eyes lighting up. "I would love that."

"Then so it shall be." William smiled, before finishing his coffee and putting on his scarf. He opened the doors to Thomas' shed and instantly, Thomas shivered.

"Ooh that's cold…" He mumbled. He quickly looked over to William and saw the cloth around his neck. "I want a scarf…"

William laughed. "Oh Thomas," He chuckled. "Engines can't have scarfs."

"They can't?"

William smiled at his engine's curiosity. "No, they can't. They're made for people." He explained gently. "It's to keep them warm. You have your firebox- your heart, in a manner of speaking, to keep you warm."

"Wow…" Breathed Thomas in awe. His Father was very wise.

…

Thomas steamed down the rails happily. It was a sunny day and the sky was bright blue, with little to no clouds. "Everything looks so bright, Father!" Thomas cheered.

William laughed from Thomas' cab. "It does, Thomas." He agreed. "But try not to go too fast; the rails are icy."

"I won't." Thomas reassured him. Only then, did Thomas realise just how slick the rails were. Doing his best to keep steady, he started whimpering.

"You're alright, Thomas." William smiled. "Keep going."

Knowing that he was doing well in his Father's eyes, Thomas felt he himself was doing fine as well and continued moving down the rails.

…

"Ok Thomas, we'll stop here for a minute so I can check your coal and water." William smiled as they stopped near a coal hopper.

"Ok!" Thomas smiled, and he patiently waited where he was placed for his Father to return.

However, as he waited, a yell rang through air.

"Look out! I can't stop!" Came another voice as a whistle blew frantically in warning.

Thomas didn't know what to do. Engines could move on their own, but they still needed their drivers with them. But he was built only two days ago and didn't know much about himself yet. So he closed his eyes and braced for the impact.

Sure enough, not seconds later, he felt the buffers of another engine crash into him and he moved backwards a few feet from the force of the crash.

Thomas slowly opened his eyes and saw the engine that bumped into him was a small green tank engine. Said engine panted and backed away. "I-I'm sorry." He said shakily. "I wasn't able to stop properly. The rails were icy."

Thomas panted as well but smiled. "It's fine… I know they're icy. It's hard to stop. I'm, Thomas." He said meekly. "Who- who are you?" He asked quietly.

"Oh, my name is Percy!" The other engine said cheerily.

"It's good to meet you, Percy." Thomas smiled.

"What railway?"

Thomas stared at him in confusion. "Um… what?"

"What railway do you work on?" Percy clarified. "I've never seen a paintjob like that on any railway." He said, referring to Thomas' baby blue paintwork.

That's when it clicked for Thomas. "O-Oh! I don't… work on a railway." He admitted sheepishly. "I was built only two days ago by my Father, William Barlette. A-And he painted me in these colours. I'm just… his engine." He smiled.

Percy blinked at him. "Wow! Only two days? You're really young."

"Gee, what gave it away?" Thomas asked sarcastically before both he and Percy burst into laughter.

"I was built seven years ago." Percy smiled. "So I'm seven years old."

"So… you're smaller than me, but older." Thomas giggled.

"Exactly." Percy smiled.

Thomas smiled at his companion. He liked this little engine- he seemed more honest and open than the others he'd met previously.

"Say," Said Percy curiously, looking at Thomas. "If you weren't built to work on a railway, why were you built?"

"My Father wanted to show an engine the meaning of kindness and love." Thomas explained, smiling as he thought of his Father.

Percy was puzzled by this response. "If that was what he intended to do, why didn't he rescue one?"

Poor Thomas faltered at that question. "I beg your pardon?" He asked, suddenly feeling confused and scared by Percy's ominous statement.

Percy remembered too late that Thomas was too young to know of engines being condemned to the scrapyards. "I'm sorry," He said, looking over at an alarmed Thomas. "I didn't mean to say that- in fact, I shouldn't have said it at all. I like you, and I'm glad I got to meet you, Thomas. But there's some things you don't know about life yet. Like…"

"Like what?"

"… Like engines being sent to the scrapyards."

Thomas didn't know what scrapyards were; but they sounded terrifying. He was afraid to ask Percy what they were; but the little green engine was silent, staring solemnly at his buffers. "Percy?" He said quietly.

"Yes, Thomas?"

"If I find an engine bound for the scrapyard, I'm going to help them." He said determinedly. "No engine deserves to go somewhere they don't want to go."

Percy was taken aback by such a bold statement from an engine barely two days old. But he could also see a determined fire in Thomas' eyes, blazing fiercely; and he knew then that Thomas was unlike any other engine he'd met before. But it was a good thing. He smiled.

"You know what?" He hummed.

"What?" Asked Thomas, curiously.

"I feel that you would… someday. In fact, I feel that you're capable of doing a lot of great things one day."

Thomas was surprised to hear Percy think that, and he felt flattered; but he didn't know why Percy thought such a thing.

"Why do you think that, Percy?" He asked curiously.

"Well, you're different," Replied Percy, grinning. "You're much different from the other engines I've met so far; and I don't say that very often. But being different is good."

Thomas didn't know what to say; but he felt honoured that Percy thought so much of him. "Thank you…" He said quietly, smiling bashfully at him.

Percy smiled back. "You're welcome. Well, I have to go." He hummed. "I have things to. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

"Maybe." Thomas agreed. "I wouldn't mind."

As Percy reversed down the track, he blew his whistle, bidding Thomas goodbye.

Thomas returned the gesture, blowing his whistle goodbye.

"Who were you blowing your whistle to, Thomas?" William asked as he returned. "And why are you set back so far?"

"Oh, this engine bumped into me because he wasn't able to stop in time due to icy rails." Thomas explained. "We talked for a while and he left just a moment ago. That's why I'm back a bit and why I was whistling." He smiled.

"I see." William hummed as he stepped back into Thomas' cab, moving him over to the coal hopper. "What was his name?"

"Percy." Thomas smiled. "He was a small engine with four wheels."

"Ah, I'd guess he was a saddle tank engine." William chuckled.

"I think so." Thomas smiled. "But he's older than me. He said he's seven years old. He was nice."

"I'm glad." William chuckled. "Did you have a good first Christmas?"

"Oh yes Father, I did." Thomas said happily. "It was very fun!"

"That's wonderful to hear." William smiled. "Now come along. The sun will set soon, and we should be getting home."

Thomas giggled. "Ok Father."


End file.
